Following Tech’s loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday evening, Tech’s media members requested offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler to ask him questions about the Hokies’ offense, and Loeffler, to his credit, came into the interview room and answered questions rather bluntly.

“The fact of the matter is we didn’t get it done,” he said. “At all.”

Tech’s offense amassed a season-low 291 yards in the 21-16 defeat. Playing without their top three tailbacks, the Hokies rushed for just 26 yards – the sixth-fewest under head coach Frank Beamer and the fewest since rushing for 23 yards in a 1987 loss to Clemson in Beamer’s first season.

The staff expected the going to be tough against a Pittsburgh defense that ranked fourth nationally in total defense. Plus, the Hokies were without bruising tailback Marshawn Williams – Shai McKenzie and Trey Edmunds are out either for the season or for an extended period – and with his size, Williams can get an extra couple of yards on a carry. Those turn third-and-7 into a more manageable third-and-5 or third-and-4. Tech finished 2-of-14 on third down.

The lack of a running game meant Tech needed to make big plays in the passing game. It made one – a 41-yard pass play from Michael Brewer to Bucky Hodges. The Hokies did not have another play longer than 19 yards.

“We said that we needed to make, particularly with our running situation, three or four shots,” Loeffler said. “We had some opportunities to make those shots, and we missed them. It’s a combination of a lot of things. I don’t think it’s one guy. But we had a lot of opportunities. We just didn’t do it.”

The throw to Hodges came on the opening drive of the second half, with the Hokies trailing 14-6. It gave them a first down at the Pittsburgh 9. Tech got to the Pittsburgh 4, but on third-and-goal, Brewer couldn’t connect with Isaiah Ford in the end zone, and Tech settled for a Joey Slye field goal (photo to the left).

That was the second time in the game that the Hokies settled for a field goal after having first-and-goal inside the Pittsburgh 10. The other time came on the final drive of the first half. The Hokies got to the Pittsburgh 3, but on third-and-goal from the 3, they were called for delay of game – a call that had the staff seething because the play clocks had differing times and because Tech ran the play and scored on a Brewer touchdown pass to Ford. The penalty negated the touchdown.

Then on third-and-goal from the 8, Tech was called for a false start, pushing it back five more yards. On third-and-goal from the 13, Brewer’s pass to Cam Phillips gained six yards, and Tech settled for a Slye field goal.

The two penalties were two of eight on the night for the Hokies. They’ve committed at least eight in every game this season.

“When you have a bunch of young guys, those things are going to happen,” Loeffler said. “But we’ve got to get rid of them. We got rid of the turnover bug except for one fumble. But the penalties are killers, especially with us. We can’t be down at the 5, and the next thing, we’re backed up to the 15 after two ridiculous penalties.”

Interestingly, for the first time this season, Brewer did not turn the ball over. He completed 26-of-45 for 265 yards, with a touchdown. Tech only turned the ball over once – a J.C. Coleman turnover led to a Pittsburgh touchdown – but again, the Hokies couldn’t get any rhythm.

A lot of credit needs to go to Pittsburgh, which constantly flipped the field. Of Tech’s 14 drives, nine started inside its own 25. Five started inside the 12.

“We had field-position issues. We were backed up,” Loeffler admitted. “They did a good job. They ran the ball and they punted us deep; they ran the ball and punted us deep. We had our chances. Even as poorly as we ran the ball, we had a chance to win at the end.”

On Tech’s final drive, the Hokies got to their 46. But a killer sack resulted in a 10-yard loss and forced the Hokies to burn their final timeout – they had used two in the third quarter. Ultimately, on fourth-and-11 from the 45, Tech went for it, and Brewer couldn’t connect with Phillips, thus turning the ball back over to Pittsburgh with 1:22 left and ending the game.

“If you have two timeouts, three timeouts, at the end of the game, you’re able to burn those timeouts [on defense] and get the ball back with 3:50 left,” Loeffler said. “It changes your thought process. You’re able to dink and dunk down the field. We did that the previous drive [which led to the Hokies’ only touchdown]. We hit two check-downs that went for 16 yards. If you’ve got one timeout, you’ve got to push the ball down the field.”

Then he added a phrase that summed up the evening – “It just didn’t happen.”

Video highlights from Tech's 21-16 defeat at Pittsburgh

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Photo gallery from Tech's 21-16 defeat at Pittsburgh

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Tech rally falls short, Pitt holds on to win 21-16. Regroup and get back at it next Thursday in Lane.

• Sam Rogers got the start at tailback for the Hokies, his first career start at the position. Derek Di Nardo started at the whip linebacker for his second start of the season.

• Nigel Williams recorded his second career sack in the second quarter. His other sack came against Alabama in last year’s season opener.

• Joey Slye’s field goal in the second quarter extended Tech’s school- and ACC-record scoring streak to 250 games, the 11th-longest streak in FBS history and the fifth-longest active streak.

• Slye’s field goal was 42 yards, tying his career long which he made against Georgia Tech earlier this season. He later made a 24-yarder to end the half and a 21-yarder in the third quarter to tie his career high for field goals made in a game.

• Defensive tackle Corey Marshall picked off Chad Voytik in the second quarter, the first interception of his career.

• Freshman Cam Phillips tied his career high for catches in a game with seven. He also had seven against East Carolina earlier this season. Phillips also hauled in his second touchdown pass of the season.

• The six points at halftime were a season low for the Hokies. The previous low was seven against East Carolina. The last time the Hokies failed to score a touchdown in the first half was last season against Duke. Tech trailed 6-0 at the break and lost 13-10 to the Blue Devils.

• Dadi Nicolas recorded Tech’s first blocked kick of the season when he tipped a field goal in the fourth quarter. It was the 132nd blocked kick under head coach Frank Beamer and the 40th field goal.

• Bucky Hodges had three catches to give him 20 on the season. He becomes the eighth tight end under Beamer to record 20 or more receptions in a season. The record for catches by a tight end under Beamer is 38 by Steve Johnson in 1987.

• Isaiah Ford had four more receptions to give him 32 for the season. The 32 catches are the most ever in a season for a true freshman under Beamer, surpassing Jarrett Boykin’s 30 in 2008. The record for catches by a freshman is 40 by Joshua Stanford, who had 40 last season as a redshirt freshman. Phillips also has 25 receptions, putting him within striking distance of Ford with five regular season games left.

Tech’s troubles against Panthers continue

Virginia Tech’s struggles in the Steel City continued on Thursday night, as the Hokies fell to the Panthers 21-16 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

The loss marked the Hokies’ fourth straight in Pittsburgh. They haven’t won in Pittsburgh since 1999, and they’ve lost to the Panthers for the fifth time in the past six meetings.

The loss left Tech at 4-3 overall, 1-2 in the ACC. Pittsburgh, which had lost three straight games, moved to 4-3, 2-1 in the league.

The Hokies trailed just 14-9 in the fourth quarter and drove into Pittsburgh territory. A 12-yard pass from quarterback Michael Brewer to Cam Phillips got the Hokies to the Pittsburgh 38, but left them two yards short of a first down. The Hokies went for it, but a Brewer pass to Willie Byrn was off the mark, giving the ball back to the Panthers.

Two plays later, the Panthers were in the end zone. Pittsburgh quarterback Chad Voytik gained 49 yards on a run to the Tech 13, and on the next play, tailback James Conner scored on a 13-yard run with 13:07 remaining. The extra point gave the Panthers a 21-9 lead and all but sealed the game.

The Hokies did cut into the lead when Brewer threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cam Phillips with 4:52 left that made it 21-16, and the Hokies got the ball back with 2:30 remaining. But on fourth-and-11 from the Tech 45, Brewer couldn’t connect with Phillips. Pittsburgh then ran out the clock.

Tech’s offense struggled to find any rhythm against a Pittsburgh defense ranked fourth nationally in total defense. The Hokies amassed just 291 yards and didn’t get over the 200-yard mark until around 6:30 was left in the game.

Brewer completed 26-of-45 for 265 yards, with a touchdown. The Hokies rushed for just 26 yards, their fewest since rushing for 23 yards in a 22-10 loss to Clemson in 1987 – Beamer’s first season.

Tech quickly got on the board to start the second half. The Hokies went 61 yards in eight plays – with 41 of those yards coming on a pass from Michael Brewer to Bucky Hodges – and they got to the Pittsburgh 4. On third-and-goal, Brewer tried to hit Isaiah Ford in the end zone, but Ford couldn’t haul it in, and the Hokies settled for a 22-yard field goal by Joey Slye with 11:32 left in the third quarter. That cut the lead to 14-9.

That was the score at the end of the third quarter. Tech’s offense enjoyed a touch more success in that quarter, finishing with 121 yards after amassing just 61 in the first half.

Tech’s defense also continues to play well. The Hokies held the Panthers to 31 yards in the quarter. Pittsburgh has 206 for the game.

The Hokies enter the fourth quarter having driven into Pittsburgh territory. They took over at their own 9 and they are at the Pittsburgh 46.

• Sam Rogers got the start at tailback for the Hokies, his first career start at the position. Derek Di Nardo started at the whip linebacker for his second start of the season.

• Nigel Williams recorded his second career sack in the second quarter. His other sack came against Alabama in last year’s season opener.

• Joey Slye’s field goal in the second quarter extended Tech’s school- and ACC-record scoring streak to 250 games, the 11th-longest streak in FBS history and the fifth-longest active streak.

• Slye’s field goal was 42 yards, tying his career long which he made against Georgia Tech earlier this season. He later made a 24-yarder to end the half.

• Defensive tackle Corey Marshall picked off Chad Voytik in the second quarter, the first interception of his career.

• Freshman Cam Phillips had four catches in the first half. His career high for catches in a game is seven, coming against East Carolina earlier this season.

• The six points at halftime are a season low for the Hokies. The previous low was seven against East Carolina. The last time the Hokies failed to score a touchdown in the first half was last season against Duke. Tech trailed 6-0 at the break and lost 13-10 to the Blue Devils.

Hokies trail 14-6 at halftime

Tech got on the board in the second quarter, thanks to a long punt return by freshman Greg Stroman. Stroman’s career-long 38-yard punt return got the Hokies to the Pittsburgh 32. Tech’s offense went three-and-out, but the Hokies got on the board when freshman kicker Joey Slye hit a 42-yard field goal with 8:44 left in the first half. That cut the Pittsburgh lead to 7-3.

But the Hokies made a costly mistake toward the end of the first half. Tech tailback J.C. Coleman was stripped of the football by Pittsburgh’s Reggie Mitchell, and K.K. Mosley-Smith recovered for the Panthers at the Tech 22. Three plays later, tailback James Conner scored on a 15-yard run. The extra point gave the Panthers a 14-3 lead with 3:39 left in the first half.

Tech took advantage of a Corey Marshall interception with less than three minutes to play in the half – the first of Marshall’s career. The Hokies got to the Pittsburgh 3, but a delay of game penalty and a false start pushed them back to the Pittsburgh 13. On third-and-and goal, Michael Brewer’s pass to Cam Phillips got the Hokies to the Pittsburgh 7, and Tech settled for a 24-yard field goal by Slye on the final play of the half.

It was a nightmarish first half for Tech’s offense, which amassed just three first downs and 61 yards. Brewer completed 9-of-19 for 55 yards.

Pittsburgh amassed 175 yards, and even though the Panthers turned the ball over twice, they only allowed Tech three points off those turnovers. By contrast, Coleman’s fumbled led to a Pittsburgh touchdown.

Pittsburgh struck first against the Hokies, going 86 yards on their second possession. On third-and-6 from the Pittsburgh 47, quarterback Chad Voytik hit receiver Tyler Boyd on a post pattern. Boyd avoided Tech rover Kyshoen Jarrett and went the distance for a 53-yard touchdown that marked the Panthers’ longest pass play of the season. The score gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead with 6:32 left in the first quarter.

The first quarter was a disaster for the Hokies, who got the ball three times and did not record a first down. Tech had just seven yards of offense in the first quarter.

In contrast, Pittsburgh had 144 yards of offense and ran 20 plays. Quarterback Chad Voytik completed 5-of-6 for 74 yards, with the touchdown. Tailback James Conner had 11 yards rushing on six carries.

Pittsburgh has the ball deep in Tech territory at the Hokie 34 heading into the second quarter.

Tech dress squad notes; Worilds and Coale to be in attendance

The Virginia Tech dress squad featured 68 players for the Hokies’ ACC game against Pittsburgh tonight. That’s the exact number that the Hokies took to Chapel Hill for the game against North Carolina.

There were no surprises on the dress squad. As reported two days ago, tailback Marshawn Williams (ankle), tight end Kalvin Cline (knee) and defensive tackle Luther Maddy (knee) are out for the game. Tech’s staff planned on bringing Jerome Wright to Pittsburgh, but Wright suffered a hamstring injury on Tuesday and was listed as out for the game.

Defensive tackle Woody Baron returned to the dress squad after missing the North Carolina game with a sprained ankle. Baron is not expected to start tonight versus Pittsburgh after starting against Georgia Tech and Western Michigan, but he should see extensive playing time behind Nigel Williams and Corey Marshall.

Also, backup safety Greg Jones and kicker Michael Santamaria returned to the dress squad after not traveling to Chapel Hill. Jones will be on the punt return team. Santamaria is an emergency kicker and is expected to take a redshirt season.

• Former Tech players Jason Worilds and Danny Coale will be in attendance tonight for the Hokies’ game against the Panthers. Worilds plays for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, who play the Houston Texans on Monday night. He stopped by the team hotel last night to visit with some of the coaches.

Coale also stopped by the team hotel last night. He was with the Steelers this offseason, but was injured his finger and continues to rehab it. He hopes to get one more shot with an NFL team. He currently lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, a Pittsburgh native.

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Jarrett, Hokies ready to end Pittsburgh nightmares

Virginia Tech left Wednesday afternoon for Pittsburgh to gear up for the Hokies’ Thursday night game against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The game marks a Homecoming of sorts for rover Kyshoen Jarrett, one of five players on Tech’s roster from the state of Pennsylvania. The lists also includes quarterback Andrew Ford (Camp Hill), offensive lineman Jack Willenbrock (Glenmoore), offensive lineman Eric Gallo (Richboro) and tailback Shai McKenzie (Washington).

Jarrett (photo on the left) lists Tannersville, near Scranton, as his hometown, and Tannersville is five hours from Pittsburgh. He still expects to see some familiar faces in the crowd.

“I’m going to have some friends and some family there,” Jarrett said. “Pittsburgh is kind of a long way from where I stayed in Pennsylvania. But I’ll have some friends and some old coaches, and I’ll reach out to them. I’m sure they’ll reach out, too, if they want to come to the game.”

Jarrett and the Hokies certainly have more pressing matters at hand. The Hokies sit at 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the wide-open Coastal Division of the ACC, but they have never won at Heinz Field in three games there.

Two years ago, Tech faced a Pittsburgh team coming off a loss to Youngstown State. The Hokies came out a little sluggishly, giving up 305 yards and turning the ball over four times in the first half. They ended up losing 35-17, which snapped a 13-game road winning streak for Tech.

In 2003, the Hokies got knocked off 31-28. Pittsburgh running back Lousaka Polite scored on a 2-yard run with 47 seconds left to win. Tech had a last opportunity to score, but on the ensuing possession, quarterback Marcus Vick threw an interception on the first play, thus securing the win for the Panthers.

The loss overshadowed what was then a school record by former Tech running back Kevin Jones, who rushed for 241 yards on 30 carries and scored four touchdowns.

“That’s always motivation, something to look forward to,” Jarrett said of the Hokies’ struggles in Pittsburgh. “ I’ve definitely been looking forward to going back and playing them guys at their stadium and getting a ‘W.’ The last time we were up there, it wasn’t good at all. I’m definitely looking forward to it, and I’m sure everyone else is. That’s the mindset we’ve had all week.”

Tech’s last victory in Pittsburgh came in 1999 – 15 years ago. In that game, a Michael-Vick led group won 30-17. Vick ran for a touchdown and threw for one, and backup tailback Andre Kendrick rushed for 162 yards on 16 carries. As a team, the Hokies rushed for 295 yards.

Tech survived an epic performance by Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Bryant, who caught 13 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown. Those 13 catches are tied for the second-most ever by an individual against Tech and the 215 yards are the third-most by an individual against the Hokies.

Tech is 3-4 all time against the Panthers in Pittsburgh. The Hokies have lost three straight games there and four of five.

“I think every year is different,” Tech coach Frank Beamer said. “What caused the first loss, second loss, third loss, are different reasons, but the bottom line is they are always a very physical, tough football team, and they are hard to beat.”

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As expected, both defensive lineman Luther Maddy (knee) and tailback Marshawn Williams (ankle) have been listed as out for the Thursday night game against Pittsburgh, according to the Virginia Tech injury report released Tuesday.

In addition, tight end Kalvin Cline has been listed as out because of a lingering knee problem. Cline missed the first three games of the season because of the balky knee, but he returned to the lineup for the Georgia Tech game and he played in both that game and the Western Michigan game. He did not play against North Carolina.

Cline (photo to the right) has caught just one pass this season. He has played in 58 snaps on offense and nine on special teams.

The coaches and sports medicine personnel could elect to apply for medical hardship waivers to the ACC office for Facyson, Cline and Maddy if they elect to do so. If granted, the waiver would preserve a year of eligibility (basically a redshirt season). But none of those players can play again the rest of the season if they want to have the waiver granted. A player cannot play more than four games or play beyond the halfway point of the season and receive a waiver.

Defensive tackle Woody Baron is listed as probable for the Pittsburgh game. Baron missed the North Carolina game because of a sprained ankle. He had started the previous two games before that game.

Tech’s sports medicine staff also listed freshman offensive lineman Braxton Pfaff as out for the season with a shoulder injury. Pfaff played five snaps in the William & Mary game, so the coaches and sports medicine staff will apply for a medical hardship waiver for him.

Keihn’s thoughts with mom living in Liberia

The Hokies leave tomorrow afternoon for a trip to Pittsburgh, as they prepare to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers in another key ACC contest. Coming off a bye week, Tech now looks to make its move in the Coastal Division – a move that received a boost when Georgia Tech lost this past Saturday.

But one member of the team keeps a portion of his attention thousands of miles away. Melvin Keihn, a freshman defensive end from Towson, Maryland, has a special interest in the West African nation of Liberia. His mother lives there – a nation receiving worldwide attention because of the Ebola virus outbreak. More than 4,000 people in West Africa have died from this virus, including 2,300 in Liberia. There have been two documented cases in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control, and one of those was a native Liberian who died in Texas while traveling on a visa.

Keihn talked with is mother, Satta, last Wednesday.

“Right now, she says she’s safe,” he said. “She lives on a farm. She came into town to get some money, but then went back to the farm. The farm is really safe, so she’s staying away from all that [the Ebola-afflicted areas]. We also talked about not accepting stuff from people she doesn’t know. Not to be disrespectful, but anyone can have that, and I don’t want her to get it.”

Keihn (photo on the right) was born in Liberia in 1995, and he moved to the United States when he was 8 to live with his father (his parents are divorced) to avoid becoming a casualty of a civil war occurring in the country at the time. His mother stayed behind.

He hasn’t seen his mother since the day he got on the airplane at the airport in Monrovia to come to the United States. He keeps in contact through periodic phone calls, but that doesn’t alleviate his concerns much. Growing up in Maryland, he worried about her become an innocent casualty of the country’s civil war. Now he worries about the Ebola virus.

“I worry about her a lot,” he said. “You don’t know who has it. Right now, I’m just glad that all my family is safe and healthy and hopefully staying away from Ebola. I’m worried, but at the same time, I’m trying to leave everything in God’s hands.”

Here in Blacksburg, Keihn has played in every game as one of 11 true freshman to see action this season. Most of his game experience comes as a member of the kickoff and punt return teams. In fact, 66 of his 70 snaps have come on special teams.

“I like special teams,” he said. “I was a special teams guy in high school. It’s a great way to get into the game. It’s a good way to get a game going. Like on the kickoff team, we got the game going against Western Michigan and started with a touchdown [Andrew Motuapuaka’s 11-yard fumble return for a touchdown].”

Keihn’s other four snaps came in the Western Michigan game, where he was credited with a solo tackle by the coaching staff. He has been adjusting to the defensive end position, having come to Tech as a linebacker.

“I’m learning a new technique and new scheme, and that’s a little bit hard,” he admitted. “But at the same time, I feel like I’m picking up on them. I feel like I’m doing well, but I know I can get better. I’m getting better every day in practice, and then after the season, that will be a good time to get even better, whether it’s going back to linebacker or staying at defensive end. I feel I’ll stay at end. I’ve got to keep getting better, no matter where I play.

“[But] everything is going well. I just need to keep working hard every day and keep getting better and keep getting experience. I feel I’m getting better. Everything is going well, and I’m having a great experience. I just have to be ready when my name is called.”